


This Is What Happens

by Huggle



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt Clint, Protective Jarvis, Protective Natasha, Protective Tony, SHIELD Specialists get hurt sometimes, Tony Feels, Tony Has Issues, nothing says I love you like
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-20
Updated: 2014-04-20
Packaged: 2018-01-20 02:57:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1494085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Huggle/pseuds/Huggle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony is not OK with another close call for Natasha & Clint.  He chooses to deal with it like any billionaire genius inventor with a protective streak forty miles wide and a personal workshop would.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Is What Happens

JARVIS has never liked her. Natasha knows that.

She couldn’t care less – perhaps Stark has credited it with some kind of sentience, but to her it is just a computer. A very advanced one – that no doubt imagines itself capable of dealing with her in a variety of ways, but it is still just a combination of wires and code that gives the impression of it being alive.

Whether it is or not, the mini EMP device she carries on her person, concealed even from the machine’s prying eyes, will reduce the question to a mere point of interest.

Her fingers run along its edge as she stares up at the uncovered vent. Clint has been gone seven minutes and twenty two seconds, one minute and ten seconds longer than she estimated he’d need to reach Stark’s lab.

She can’t trust something that reasons through a series of protocols and programmed logic. At least when people want to kill you, it’s for motives born of greed, hate, fear, duty, sometimes jealousy, even boredom. But they’re formed in flesh and blood, rooted in life.

“If he doesn’t come back down from there,” she says, quietly, a threat she knows JARVIS won’t acknowledge.

“You’ll do what?” Clint says, suddenly. His head pops out of the vent, his face flushed and grimy. “I kind of thought Stark would keep things a little cleaner. I’ve probably caught something.”

He disappears briefly, until he’s turned around and can drop to the floor. Natasha reaches to steady him.

“You saw him?”

Clint shakes his head. “Got about halfway there and JARVIS blocked me off. Very carefully, but very firmly directed me back the way I came. You know, Nat, JARVIS wouldn’t do anything to hurt us. But if Tony wants some personal time, he’ll make sure that he gets it.”

“He.”

Clint shrugs. “Maybe we’re just going to have to wait until Tony’s ready.”

It’s been a day and a half. _Ready for what_ , she wonders.

::::

Three days later, at just after eleven p.m, JARVIS politely wakes her. 

She meets Clint outside Tony’s lab; he looks tired, still half asleep. His t-shirt crawls up when he gives a half stretch, and the dressing across his abdomen peeks out at her. She closes the gap, lets him lean on her, and runs her fingers carefully around the taped edges.

He lets out a huff of air, and she fears she’s hurt him, but he grins and says, “Ticklish.”

The lab doors open, and Tony’s standing there – he looks worse than Clint but also kind of maniacal. 

“Come,” he manages, and then goes back in as if there’s no doubt in the world that they’ll follow.

They do.

::::

Clint takes to his like it was something he’d always wanted but just didn’t know.

Nat watches him standing next to Stark, Tony’s armour gleaming red and gold in the sun, as he peers over the edge.

“You should name it,” Tony says.

Clint grins at him. “You going to smash a bottle of champagne against me too?”

Tony looks like he might be considering it, then shrugs. “Could send out for Cristal.”

“Don’t want to scratch the paintwork. Here goes.” 

He dives off the roof, making it look graceful and certain, like he has no doubt that he won’t just plunge to his death.

Tony glances back at her with a ‘look what we’ve created’ expression on his face, drops his visor and follows.

Natasha doesn’t run to the edge. She knows Stark won’t let Clint fall, knows the suit will work. 

Instead, she goes inside, to the assembly machine holding another version of the suit Clint is wearing. 

She hasn’t missed the tiny black spider etched on the inside of the right forearm.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for an Avengers Kink Meme Prompt that asked for Tony to have a freak out after Nat and Clint have another close call, and he decides to secretly build them suits.
> 
> This is also the first entry of my second go in the ten in ten challenge.


End file.
